Apparatus for forming necks on headers and indexing means to align punch and matrix with work area of header



' Nov. 3, 1959 A. HUET 2,911,029

APPARATUS FOR FORMING NECKS ON HEADERS AND INDEXING MEANS TO ALIGN PUNCHAND MATRIX WITH WORK AREA OF HEADER Filed Jan. 18, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2fl/VDRE H05 7' IN VEN TOR.

/? T TO/P/VEY A. HUET APPARATUS FOR FORMING NECKS 0N HEADERS ANDINDEXING MEANS TO ALIGN PUNCH AND MATRIX WITH WORK AREA OF HEADER Nov.3, 195

Filed Jan. 18, 1955 s sheets-sheep:

ll/VDRE 1/05 7' IN VEN TOR.

fl TTOfA/EY APPARATUS FOR FORMING NECKS N HEADERS AND INDEXING MEANS T0ALIGN PUNCH AND MATRIX wrrn WORK AREAoF HEADER Andr Huet, Paris, France,assignor to Combustion Engineering, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporationof Delaware Application January 18, 1955, Serial No. 482,635 4 Claims.(Cl. 153-2) The present invention relates to a machine for manufacturingtube nipples or necks on pipes of large diameter or on headers by meansof a punch arranged in the interior of-the pipe to pierce the wall toform the neck,

while a matrix is applied from the outside around the neck. The machineis destined for the manufacture of a manufacture, and are not altogetherrectilinear or may not have a perfectly circular cross section.Consequently, it is necessary to provide means to center the headerexactly in the cradle of the machine which supports it during theoperation so that the wall of the header is exactly perpendicular to theaxis of the punch during the operation.

United States Patent C An object of the present invention istheprovision of an improved machine of this type destined to produce necksand, embodies centering means with which to obtain perfect necks in thedesired area of the header.

The characteristic features of the machine embodying the invention are:first, a cradle which supports that part of the header which is to beworked upon and which has a semi-circular or approximately semi-circularsupporting surface conforming to the contour of the header; second,there are provided arc-shaped pressure shanks which are applied againstthe surface of the header opposite the cradle in locations at both sidesof the area to be treated. Thisway the header must be applied perfectlyagainst the cradle of the machine, whatever the manufacturing defectsmay be, and centered on the axis of said cradle and present during theforging a wall which is perfectly perpendicular to the axis of thepunch. Secondly, the

punch-matrix unit being in place on the header, in the area where it isdesired to produce the neck, the hydraulic operating jack which isarranged in the interiorof the header must be operated'so as to carrythe punch so that the axis of said punch remains also perfectlyperpendicular to the wall during the punching operation. To this end ithas previously been suggested to make this jack integral with bed plateswhich are applied on the inner wall of the header but these plates arehard to put in place particularly when the header is long. According tothe present invention the correct position of the punch and jack duringthe forging is obtained by means of a guide stud which is in a fixedposition relatively to the matrix placed at the outside of the headerand which, passing 7 preferably through one of the necks already formedin the header, engages a piece which in turn is ,in fixed positionrelatively to the body of the jack and .jpunchjnside the header, thusmaintaining it inthe proper location and position and also preventingany swinging or any other displacement of this jack during themanufacture of the neck.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a machine em-Patented Nov. 3, 1959 stop and immobilize the punch-matrix unit in thearea where the neck is to be produced as seen in a partial sectiontransverse to the header.

The machine embodying the invention comprises a carriage 10 providedwith wheels to travel on rails 12 and whose length is at least equal tothat of a header a to be worked on. At one end .of the carriage 10 thereis mounted on a bed or base 14 a cradle assembly 16 destined to sustainthe header. Base 14 also serves as the basic support for a matrix 18which is applied externally against the header. On the other end of thecarriage 10 a bar 20 is supported by a pedestal 11 and extends into theinterior of the header a. The rod 20 terminates in a pair of spacedfinger-like bars 22, 24 (Fighydraulic jack 26 which actuates a punch 28located in the interior of the header.

The cradle 16 that forms a support in which rests the the lower part ofthe header a opposite the area where the neck is to be formed consistsas seen in Figures 1 and 2 of three supports 30, 32, 34 havingsemi-circular cut-outs to receive the header a. These supports 30, 32,34 are mounted on a plate 36 connected with the bed 14 through theintermediary of a screw 38 oppositely threaded at its ends. Thisarrangement permits lifting the supports 30, 32, 34 so that they can beapplied under the header a opposite the point where the neck is to beformed.

In the interior of the header a the bottom 40 of the jack 26 is sodesigned that 'it fits against the interior wall of the header whichconstitutes a base on which the jack bears during the forging operation.

At both sides of the header a the base 14 is provided with verticalguides or tracks 42, 44 on columns 70 (Figure 3) on which is mounted aslidable cross piece 46 which constitutes a mount for the matrix 18 thatis applied against the outer and upper face of the header before andduring the punching. According to the invention, the cross piece 46 isintegral with a supporting plate 48 which extends in the direction ofthe longitudinal axis of the header (Figure 2) and from .which dependtwo vertically slidable arc-shaped pressure pieces or clamps 50, 52;these clamps can be held in position on their slides by means of thekeys 54, 56 (Figure 1). When the cross- 'piece 46 is caused to descendto apply the matrix 18 on the surface of the header, the clamps 50, 52are also applied on the header a opposite the cradle parts 30, 32, 34and axially spaced at both sides of the latter. The header which is thuslocked between the shanks 50, 52 and the cradle parts 30, 32, 34 is thusstraightened out in spite of the inequalities and is centered exactly inthe axis of said cradle (as seen in Figure 2).

To insure the immobilization of the inner jack 26 and prevent it fromswinging about the longitudinal axis of the header during the punchingoperation there is provided a pin or stud 60 (Figure 3) mounted on aplate 62 which can slide axially of the header in a guide under theplate piece 48 and held by clamp screw 63 (Fig. 1). When the matrix 18is lowered, the stud 60 penetrates into Finally, to ensure that thepunch-matrix assembly is automatically put in place on the header a atthe point where the neck is to be formed, a metal band 6 8 is mounted ina bracket 71 so that its end projects over the header a. The band 68carries at its end for example a e s 72 p to slide along he upper en ratx o the header a. In order to form the necks in the tlfifill'td area, itis of advantage to initially drill small holes or to provide smalldepressions in the header a at the points where the necks are to beformed. When the teeler 72 strikes against a hole or recess, it stopsthere and closes for example an electric contact 74 which ignites apilot lamp 76 thus indicating that the correct position has beenattained. By means of the lever 80, blocks 82 are lowered On the wheelsof the carriage 10 which immobilize the punch-matrix assembly in thecorrect position. The machine may be so designed that control andoperating mechanism for l g the l s and stopp ng t e s r- ,riage 10 canbe actuated u a cal y by t e e ec ic ontact 74 which is actuated by thefeeler 72. When the carriage 10 is stopped in correct position,uncoupling of the band 68 from brack t 71 n lumn 70 is e ected y meansof a lever 84 that holds the band 68 and it is then moved to the remoteposition, as represented in Figure 4 by the dot-dashed line, where itcannot interfere with the course of the operation.

In general the machine operates as follows:

A header 1 which preferably is provided with index holes or recesses inthe areas along the generatrix where necks are to be formed is held inposition so that its upper generatrix is that along which the necks areto be formed. The jack 26 is then introduced into the interior of theheader through one end and carriage assembly 10 is slid along the rails12 until the feeler 72 (Figure 4) strikes against the first index holeor recess; this signals for the carriage to stop or eifects stoppage ifappropriate automatic mechanisms are provided. The cradle 30, 32, 34 isthen raised on the support 14 by turning the screw 38 so that the headerrests in the cradle. After the region where the neck is to be formed isheated to the desired temperature, the sliding cross-piece 46 islowered. Hydraulic jacks or other suitable operating mechanisms havingthrust rods articulated at 90, 92 (Figures 1 and 2) on ears 94 formingpart of the cross piece 46 are then caused to operate so that thearc-shaped clamps 50, 52 are pressed against the outer surface of theheader along lines axially spaced from the ends of the cradle 16. At thesame time, the matrix 18 is applied as seen in Figure 2 against thesurface of the header opposite to the punch 28. After one neck has beenformed the same motion would cause the guide stud 60 to be introducedthrough the neck into the hole in the top of the slide 64 which formspart of the jack 26 so that longitudinal or rotary displacement of thejack in the interior of the header is prevented during the for ingoperation. The stud 60 and member 64 cooperate to function 'as indexingdevices to insure that the subsequently formed necks are alined with thefirst on the same generatrix and are in uniformly spaced relation asdetermined by the set position axially of the header of stud 60 withrespect to matrix 18 and of punch 28 with respect to member 64.

It is then suiiicient to direct the pressure in the interior of the jack26 so that the punch 28 pierces the surface of the header a and forms aneck, such as 96, in the desired area, by piercing through the wall ofthe header and upsetting the metal in the interval between the workingfaces of the punch-matrix 28- 18.

The clamps 50, 52 insure a perfectly perpendicular position of the upperwall with respect to the axis of the punch 28 and, on the other hand,the punch is centered exactly perpendicular to this wall during ,thepunching operation, due to the guide stud 60.

When a number of necks are to be formed along the uppergeneratrix of theheader ,at generallyequal intervals, the distance between the slide 6f}within the header and the axis of the punch 28 is fixed at the intervaldesired between two successive necks and the slide 64 is located in setposition by meanso f the screw '66. Similarly the stud 60 on slide 62 isset at the same distance from the axis of the matrix .18 and the guidestud 60 is then located in this relation by the intermediary of thescrew 63 (Figure 1). 4

In this way, after having formed an initial neck, such as 96, in thevicinity of one end of'the pipe it is sufficient to pass the guide stud60 into the already formed neck 96 to insure that the axis of the matrix18 and that of the punch 28 are automatically adjusted in place at thedesired distance from neck 96 to form the second neck and so forth.

It goes without saying that minor changes can be applied to theembodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit of theinvention. i

What I claim is:

In. apparatus o fo min ecks one ow h a havin a Punch pos tio ab e Wi inhe h e f r 9 p ra iq w a ma x age-abl w t the e or wal surface of theheader; a cradle having surfaces conform.-

. o t e ontou o t e heade and n w i the latte st or uppor t lo a o b en.t en a mo t i m ix e in pos t on a e y to nd b ve said cradle; indexingmeans fixed in position in a member extending into a headercarried bythe cradle for positioning the punch in a location above the cradle; a si e in x me e ca e by aid m mbe and mayable axially of said header; anda slidable indexing menaber carried by said matrix mount and adjustableon said mount with respect to said matrix in directions along the axisof said header, one of said indexing members being adjustable along theaxis of the header to a predetermined position with respect to thelocation for formation of a neck by said matrix and punch andcooperating with the other index member to aline the work area on theheader with said punch and matrix.

2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 characterized in that one of saidindexing members comprises an element projectable through a neck formedon the header for cooperation with the other index member within theheader for alining the punch and matrix with a work area on the headerthat is in predetermined spaced relation to said neck. 3. Apparatus asrecited in claim 2 characterized in that the index member associatedwith said matrix comprises a stud projectable through a neck formed onthe header for cooperative engagement with the index member associatedwith the punch. l l H" 4. Apparatus as recited in claim 1 characterizedin .that said indexing means associated with the punchcomprises avertically disposed member located within the header and formed .on itstop end with a recess alignable with an aperturedneck on the header andthe indexing ,means associated with said matrix comprises'a studprojectable into said neck for engagement in the said recess of saidfirst mentioned indexing member for holding said punch against rotarymovement about the axis of the header so as to maintain said punchperpendicular to the wall of e e References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 877,855 Murray Jan. 28, 1908 1,432,073 LowyOct. 17, 1922 1,574,900 Kellogg Mar. -2, 1926 1,795,517 Sharp Mar. 10,1931 2,280,255 Parker Apr. 21, 1942 2,670,795 .Griep Mar. 2, 1954 FORIGN AT 473,407 Germany Mar. 15, 1 929

